


are we out of the woods?

by OhHeyAl



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-08
Updated: 2016-01-08
Packaged: 2018-05-12 12:29:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5666092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhHeyAl/pseuds/OhHeyAl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Erza, Gray, Wendy, and Carla get lost in the woods. Trouble ensues. Pining increases.</p>
            </blockquote>





	are we out of the woods?

**Author's Note:**

> This was my Secret Santa gift for waterwingeddove on tumblr! This is my first time writing Wendy and Carla so I hope I managed to give them justice.

“Are we there yet?” **  
**

“We’re… going to get there when we get there…” Erza mutters under her breath, still hauling her massive luggage on her back. Gray never knows why she insists on bringing this many things, especially when their mission is only supposed to last a couple of days.

“What that means, Wendy, is that we are completely lost,” Gray whispers conspiratorially to the younger Mage. Wendy just laughs brightly as Erza sends a glare towards Gray.

It wasn’t her fault that the forest they’ve been wandering for hours looked the same no matter which direction they went. Gray wasn’t helping at all either, with his snide comments and constant teasing. Erza was supposed to be someone Wendy could look up to, but now Gray was just making her look like a fool.

“Let’s stop for a few minutes,” declares Erza, circling the clearing they’ve just arrived at and trying to figure out the right direction.

“We’d already be there if you didn’t forget the map back at the guild,” starts Gray. Wendy cringes inwardly and shares a knowing look with Carla. This wasn’t going to be pretty.

“Well we would be _fine_ if _someone_ hadn’t broken the compass!” Erza whips around and stalks towards Gray, poking the center of his chest. Hard.

“That hurt!”

“Man up!”

“You’re telling _me_ to man up?!”

“So what if I am?!”

Wendy and Carla look back and forth between the two Mages like they were watching a battle. It seemed like they were never going to run out of words to throw at each other so the youngest Mage and the white Exceed sneak away from the bickering couple to find some peace and quiet.

* * *

It takes a while before Gray and Erza realize that Wendy is missing.

“We should just keep moving,” says Gray, his reserve of comebacks was completely depleted.

“Fine. Let’s go, Wendy.”

Silence.

“…Wendy? Carla?”

Erza meets Gray’s matching panicked expression. _“Where did they go?”_

“How should I know!” Gray exclaims, the worry is starting to build and he just hopes Wendy isn’t too far away.

“We have to find her. _Now_.” Erza’s panic has settled quickly and her steady gaze evoked complete focus. It was the kind of look she wore while in the middle of a fight. Or when she was devouring a slice of cheesecake.

Gray simply nods, checking the ground for footprints. Luckily, the dirt was soft from the rain the night before and Wendy’s footprints were imprinted on it, disappearing through the trees.

“That way,” Gray points, while Erza notices the footprints and gathers up her belongings.

“Alright. Let’s go find them.”

* * *

Wendy and Carla had been wandering the forest for quite a while when they realize that they had no idea how to get back to Gray and Erza.

“They’re going to kill me,” Wendy groans.

“I won’t let them, but you really shouldn’t have gone off and gotten yourself lost,” Carla reprimands, flying to the top of the trees to see if she could spot their companions. But the thick branches obscured any view of the ground and it was impossible to find anything from up there.

“I wish you’d have told me that earlier!” Carla knows when Wendy is starting to let the panic get to her, so she flies back down to the Mage to calm her down.

“I know. I should have. But those two were _really_ getting on my nerves.”

Wendy silently nods and goes to lean back against a tree, looking sullenly at the ground.

“You should rest. I’ll keep watch,” Carla says, flying over to Wendy, who was starting to shiver from the cold. It was about to get dark and who knew what creatures lurked in this forest. Carla didn’t want to admit it, but fierce as she may be, she wasn’t sure she could take care of Wendy on her own.

_They may be annoying, but I hope they find us soon._

* * *

Gray and Erza had been wandering the forest for quite a while when they realize the sun had just begun to set.

“We have to hurry,” Erza says, the urgency evident in her voice.

“I know. It’s just going to get harder to see her footprints.” The Ice Mage had been tracking down Wendy’s footprints, never letting his gaze lift from the ground except to make sure Erza was still following him.

Erza had the opportunity to take up the rear and be presented by the view of Gray’s bare back. It wasn’t a bad sight at all. Where Gray was once skinny and soft he was now broad and well-built.

Erza once thought that Gray would always be that tiny boy she considered a pest but now he was a comrade, a sturdy pillar that would bear her burdens with her. He was solid and dependable and a true friend. The one who stood by her but also stood up to her.

The one who would never take her shit even if she scared him sometimes.

(Or more like most of the time.)

While Erza had been lost in her thoughts about her current companion, she forgets about watching her footing as her boot catches on a large root. Her scream is cut short when she feels a strong pair of arms wrapping around her middle, knocking the wind out of her.

“You should be more careful next time,” Gray mutters next to her ear as he hauls her back on her feet.

“Thank you,” Erza replies, once she’s dusted herself off and fixed her pack on her shoulders.

“No problem, but maybe you should walk ahead so I can watch your back… And so you can watch your step while tracking Wendy’s footprints.” He just grins at her and gestures for her to lead the way.

It’s gotten to a point where Gray isn’t afraid to make fun of Erza anymore. They’re friends. It’s natural. But Erza, for some reason, finds herself growing warm in the face at the thought of Gray watching her while she can’t see him.

And he does watch her.

He watches her back like he always has. When he first saw the strange girl suddenly occupying all his attention in the guild, when he found her crying by the riverbank, in battle and in peace, he’d follow her anywhere.

It was a well-known fact that out of all of Erza’s teammates, Gray probably knows her best. He’s known her the longest, after all. Before all the layers of armor and the cold, quiet, calculated confidence. Before she grew up to be such a beauty, when she was skinny and pale, knobby knees and scarred skin.

Now he watches as her long, flaming red hair swishes from side to side, brushing against the small of her back where he’d very much like to hold her. He watches as her feet land sure and steady on the ground, now careful of unruly roots. He watches her as she turns around to ask him something when her eyes land on his shoulder and widens almost comically.

He sends her a questioning look before glancing down to his shoulder before freezing up at the sight of the largest insect he had ever seen.

“Gray… be very, very still,” Erza whispers, slowly inching towards him.

“I’m pretty sure I can’t move right now,” Gray retorts, his words lacking bite as he’s putting all his focus into not disturbing the probably poisonous creature on his body.

Erza picks up a stick from the ground and raises it to Gray’s shoulder, making sure not to surprise the insect. She’s all about calm and efficiency but she can’t help but worry about what she was going to do if ever Gray gets bitten and infected with something. Neither of them know much about poisonous insects, let alone this one, they’re still lost in the forest and still looking for Wendy, _and_ the next town is probably two hours away on foot.

The insect crawls along Gray’s shoulder, sending shivers running up his spine and definitely not the good kind. It pauses as it reaches the end of the stick, almost like it’s contemplating it. Erza breathes a sigh of relief when it finally chooses to latch onto the stick and she promptly throws it as far as she could, hoping it wouldn’t land on anybody but wanting to be as far from it as possible.

“You should be more careful next time,” Erza says with a small smile, echoing her partner’s words just a few minutes ago.

“Yeah, yeah,” he replies, willing his embarrassment at being paralyzed by an insect to disappear.

“Maybe _you_ should keep walking in front. You know, so I can watch your back,” she says, now completely deadpan, though he knows she’s still teasing.

“Just shut it and lead the way. We still need to find the kid,” Gray grumbles, shoving her gently to get her moving. She hides another smile behind her hand as she follows the footprints once more, leaving Gray to trail behind her.

“And thank you,” he whispers, his breath ghosting up the back of her neck and giving her shivers. The good kind.

* * *

Night fell and darkness covered the forest like a heavy blanket. They wouldn’t have spotted Wendy if it wasn’t for Carla’s startlingly white coat.

“Where have you _been_?” Erza and Carla hiss at the same time.

“Waiting for you!”

“Looking for you!” They exclaim in unison once again.

Gray quietly approaches Wendy who had fallen asleep against a large tree, still unaware that they had been found. He picks her up gingerly and waits until she’s settled in his arms and turns towards the other two.

“We should head back to the clearing. It seems safer there,” Gray announces, authority in his voice.

Carla’s surprised that Erza simply nods and starts walking the way they came from.

_What happened between these two?_

* * *

“I can’t wait for this mission to be over,” Erza sighs, nursing a warm cup between her hands.

“I know. It was supposed to be simple but it’s turning out… interesting,” Gray replies, as he settles down beside her, facing their campfire.

Erza simply hums in response, eyes growing heavy from the steady warmth of the fire and Gray’s body heat next to her. They sit close together, _to ward off the cold_ , they both reason with themselves.

Suddenly, Gray feels something snaking around his arm and for a second he’s afraid that it might be another creature. But looking down, he realizes it’s just Erza’s arm linking with his and he doesn’t know if he’s supposed to be more nervous about that.

The Requip Mage has dozed off, head leaning heavily on Gray’s shoulder. The last time they slept beside each other he couldn’t help but notice how pretty she’d become. Now, watching her face illuminated by the glowing embers, he can feel the same twisting in his stomach. But this time, he doesn’t try to push the sensation away, and instead, holds her closer against him.

_Yes. This mission is definitely getting interesting._


End file.
